My practice is influenced by my experiences travelling and living across Canada.
My practice is influenced by my experiences travelling and living across Canada.
The constant negotiation of new spaces has impacted how I interact with people, places, and objects. I work in sculpture and painting, while engaging with fibre arts and “craft” – the separation of which I do not agree with as it relates to the conversation around “fine art”. The continuous shifting of personal space is reflected in the way I identify as an artist: always trying something new. The act of experimenting with new materials means my sculptures become painterly, and my paintings become sculptural. I meld these fields together in my practice as I enjoy pushing the limitations of what a material can do, and what it means to interact with an object. I’m also interested in the ways feminist perspectives can help us to bring fibre arts out of the “craft” genre and into the fine arts community. Material listening and exploration are my ways of navigating this conversation.
I’ve created sculptures that push the idea of frontality – what the “front” of a sculpture is considered to be – aiming to have each angle of the sculpture offer a new perspective to the viewer as they move around. Physically orienting the body in space to the view of the art object is reminiscent of my worldview: with every new place I live and visit, my perception shifts. Combining my passion for sculpture and painting, I challenge the borders of those disciplines and reimagine what it means to make both: when does a painting become sculpture and vice versa? Using paper towels and tissue paper as a sculptural medium and recycled fabrics as a canvas, I use the materials at my fingertips to work with these themes. Reimagining “waste” items is one way I work to subvert the material while being mindful of sustainability.
My passion for horror films and novels has greatly influenced how I view art. These stories manifest in my work through distortion and materiality (the quality of a material), influenced by how the genre explores body horror, found footage, feminism, gore, and monstrous creatures. Horror stories push our perception of norms to the edge through the manipulation of expectations. I create art pieces that are full of juxtaposition – such as changing the shape of something hard to appear soft. This play between opposing elements is why I find myself so interested in the horror genre and the exploration of recycled materials: the paper towel is no longer a trash object, but a vehicle for meaning beyond itself.
As I continue to grow in my art practice, my goal is to discover new ways to present recycled items, such as fabrics and paper, and engage with contemporary conversations around “craft” and the outdated principles surrounding it.
Karly Zouppas is a Canadian artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba, living and working in Mohkínstsis (Calgary, Alberta), Treaty 7 Territory. Her practice includes sculpture, painting, and fibre arts. She is currently finishing up her second Bachelor's degree at the Alberta University of the Arts. Her background in Anthropology (UBC), the funeral industry, taxidermy, and publishing highlights Karly's desire for new experiences and diversity. A self-proclaimed nerd across many topics, Karly enjoys reading books, watching movies, and playing with her two cats when she isn't elbow-deep in a new art project.
2027 Bachelor of Fine Arts - Sculpture - Alberta University of the Arts
2019 Bachelor of Arts - Anthropology - The University of British Columbia
2026 Emerging Artists Unleashed: 2026, The Alberta Society of Artists, Calgary, AB
2026 Alter Ego, Group Show, Creig Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2026 this is (not) art?, Lead Curator, Gallery Crawl, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2025-2027 14th Annual President’s Student Exhibition, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2025 Reflect/Refract/Deflect/Defect, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Crawl, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2025 Semblance, Painting Department, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2025 Emerging Artists Unleashed: 2025, The Alberta Society of Artists, Calgary, AB
2024/2025 Show & Sale, AUArts Student Association, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2024 Salon Des Crawl, Gallery Crawl, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB
2019 Weirdos Market, Russian Hall, Vancouver, BC
2025 Mixed media contracted arts instructor with Macki Makes, Airdrie, AB
2025 Partially funded self-directed residency, Winnipeg, MB
2020 Mural painting for Paws and Purrrls Dog and Cat Grooming, Airdrie, AB
2019 Taxidermist Assistant for Jonna Lepeska, Vancouver, BC
2015-2018 Collections management via work with the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, ARCHER CRM Partnership, The International Slavia Field School in Mortuary Archaeology, and Saint Mary’s University Forensic Archaeology Field School
2012-2022 Seasonal construction work with Ardco Construction